Miracle Dogs

My dog Tioga is very in tune with my illness.  I think it's true of most domestic animals.  He will be 12 in December.  We have had him since he was 7 weeks old.

He is a chocolate labrador retriever.

We're not sure how much longer he will be around.  He's had kidney failure -  he suffers from arthritis, has a hernia, and is developing cataracts.  He has trouble getting up the stairs to our house and his walks seem to get shorter every month.  He must have pain, but he seems to adapt to it and just keeps on keeping on.

Tioga is so smart - my son taught him many tricks that are uncommon with other dogs.  Here's an example: Tioga used to bark at ALL motorcycles.  It was a habit we wanted to break, so my son worked with him for a couple weeks.  And guess what, he no longer barks at Harleys.  Somehow Jim tought him it was OK to bark at mortycycles, just not at Harleys.  To this day, Tioga still does not bark at the Harleys.  Amazing.  My son was a dog whisperer of sorts.  I could give many more examples - this is one of the better ones.

Anyway, the point of my post is simple.  It's a known fact that people with mood disorders benefit more than a lot of others from the companionship of their animals.  During one of my hospitalizations, a support group member brought his therapy dog, a labrador retriever, for a visit.  It was an awesome experience for me - I truly believe my stay was shortened a bit because of the connection I made with that dog.

Tioga has been there for me thru some terrible depressions as well as some angry or happy manics.  I actually put him in the car and took him with me to the emergency room one year when I ended up in the hospital.  At the time, he was my strongest support and I felt safe when he was with me.  I was highly manic, but the good old boy stayed right by my side and supported me.  At times, he is my very best friend.  He never fails me.  Wish we humans could be more like that.

Treasure your animals - they are only with us for a while.

Judy